Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund take control with good pressing, but Robben moves upfront to make the difference

May 26, 2013

The starting line-ups

Bayern initially struggled to get into the game, but eventually emerged victorious after a strong second half performance.

Jupp Heynckes selected Jerome Boateng rather than Daniel van Buyten at the back – the only real selection decision either manager had to make.

Jurgen Klopp named his expected XI.

Dortmund started the game excellently, pinning Bayern back and attempting six shots before Bayern had managed one – but eventually their pressing dropped, and Bayern continually exploited the space in behind the Dortmund defence.

Dortmund press

Whereas Klopp used a 4-3-3 in the last two competitive meetings against Bayern, here he opted for the 4-2-3-1 Dortmund have played for the majority of the last three years. That meant Marco Reus was fielded close in support of Robert Lewandowski, rather than starting from the left, and his first goalscorer odds with www.bwin.com looked particularly promising.

This formation helped Dortmund press high up the pitch, allowing Reus and Lewandowski to close down the centre-backs 2 v 2, while both also got into good positions to prevent forward passes played into Bayern’s holding midfield duo.

They were supported keenly by Kevin Grosskreutz and Jakub Blaszczykowski in the early stages – both pushed up high and got tight to the Bayern full-backs, while Sven Bender and Ilkay Gundogan were watching Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger respectively – Bender put in an early foul on Martinez, letting the Spaniard know he wouldn’t be able to dominate the midfield to the extent he did against Barcelona – at least in the opening stages.

On paper, Dortmund’s problem was Thomas Muller, who was allowed to go free between the lines – but Dortmund remained compact in the first half when pressing, with the back four pushing up to keep a high defensive line that was rarely exploited because Bayern didn’t have time on the ball to play through-balls.

Schweinsteiger deep but Bayern can’t pass forward

Bayern really struggled with the early pressing. Schweinsteiger often performs poorly in the opening stages of big games when closed down, and he took a while to get into the game to calm Bayern. He dropped into the back to create a 3 v 2 situation and allow Bayern to play out from the back, but he was unable to find a positive forward pass. Martinez was often stranded in the midfield zone with no teammates close by, and in this respect Bayern missed Toni Kroos – Muller wasn’t dropping into midfield to provide another forward passing option, something Kroos is excellent at.

In the first half, Bayern completed twice as many passes as Dortmund – but although they were dominating in terms of possession, they were struggling to get the ball forward. The zones of the first half passes, rather than the number of them, is particularly interesting.

Dortmund breaks

Dortmund attacked primarily through Reus, who played the central position astutely – darting between the channels to receive the ball in space, on the run. He dragged the opposition centre-backs out of position, and it was obvious Bayern were concerned about his dribbling ability, because Reus was cynically fouled on mini-breaks throughout the game.

Dortmund’s problem, of course, was that they didn’t fully capitalise upon their first half dominance, and while Reus combined impressively with Lewandowski a couple of times, his relationship with the two wide players was less obvious. Although the wide duo have been a consistent part of Dortmund’s attacking over the past few seasons, in this game they lacked the intricate combination play that was particularly obvious at points against Malaga and Real Madrid. In those games, one wide player moved inside into central positions to attack directly down the middle, and Mario Gotze was a big loss. Dortmund created half-chances, rather than clear goalscoring opportunities.

Bayern grow into the game

Against Dortmund, Bayern usually attempt to play possession football in the centre of midfield. Whether by design or accident, they actually reverted to something more like the football they played against Barcelona. Their first attempt on goal was a Mario Mandzukic header, and then they consistently threatened from corners, using their height advantage well when the set-piece deliveries were good enough.

Furthermore, rather than creating chances following long passing moves, they were more dangerous on the counter-attack, and with quick moves that exploited the space in behind the Dortmund defence.

Robben becomes prominent

The key player from around 30 minutes onwards was Arjen Robben. Having started the game in a very wide role, he continually scampered in behind the Dortmund defence and had three good goalscoring opportunities before half-time

The first came from a poked through-ball from the opposite flank by Muller. One of Dortmund’s weaknesses is their constant narrowness when pressing, and they can be exposed when play is switched quickly. Robben was thwarted by Roman Weidenfeller coming off his line quickly.

The second chance came a little later, when Robben again moved in behind the defence, but stumbled upon the ball with Weidenfeller out of his goal, and Mario Mandzukic waiting in the middle.

The third chance came from a huge punt forward from Dante – with Bayern unable to play through midfield because of Dortmund’s pressing, it was a logical approach to try and exploit Dortmund’s high line with long, straight balls. Robben got in behind Mats Hummels, but shot straight at Weidenfeller.

Second half

There were two key features of the second half. First, after an initial burst of energy, Dortmund’s pressing dropped. Bayern retained the ball higher up the pitch and got more opportunities to work the ball into goalscoring positions. Although Bayern’s centre-backs were still the players most frequently in possession, they were now close to the halfway line rather than close to their own box, as Dortmund lacked the energy to push Bayern back.

Dortmund won the ball in much deeper positions compared to the first half:

And Bayern were forced to play backwards passes less frequently:

On that note, Bayern’s own pressing was more effective. In the first half Mandzukic and Muller dropped deep quickly, but here they put Dortmund’s defenders under pressure. There was an interesting moment when Lukasz Piszczek struggled to clear twice in quick succession in the right-back zone after 50 minutes – that was the first time Dortmund had really been put under pressure in their own half, and marked a shift in the pattern of the game.

Despite Dortmund’s pressing dropping, the defence continued to play too high up the pitch, and the reason they eventually lost this game was because Robben was allowed too many opportunities to exploit the space in behind.

For long periods the second half was played at an extraordinarily high speed, with the sides becoming stretched and the ball travelling from end to end extremely quickly. The game was probably too frantic for the coaches’ liking – they had little control over the flow or direction of the play, and there were points when the match was so open that it felt like the players were being left to their own devices, rather than following a strict strategic gameplan.

Robben and Muller switched positions for the second half, and both found space in behind

Five chances in behind the Dortmund defence

But the Bayern attackers, particularly Robben, continued to exploit that high Dortmind defensive line. There were five key moments that summed up Bayern’s strength in this regard.

The first was the opening goal – Robben picked up the ball in a central position, swapped passes with Ribery while sprinting in behind the defence, rounded Weidenfeller and squared for Mandzukic to tap in. The Croatian’s finish was simple, but earlier in the move he’d excellently collected a long ball on his chest, knocking it down to Robben to start the attack – that simple touch sums up why he’s been so vital for Bayern this season.

Then there was a huge, accurate diagonal ball from David Alaba into the path of Mandzukic on 62 minutes – he got in behind the defence but his finish was poor from a tight angle – Robben was up alongside him, waiting for a square pass.

After Dortmund’s equaliser (a penalty from Ilkay Gundogan after Dante’s error), there was another Bayern chance on 71 minutes because of simple pace in behind the defence – Muller raced forward in the inside-right channel past Marcel Schmelzer, rounded Weidenfeller (a common theme – with Dortmund playing so high up, he spent most of the game as a sweeper) and rolled the ball towards the goal. Again, Robben was up in support, but Neven Subotic got ahead of him to clear dramatically.

On 76 minutes, the Robben-Muller-Mandzukic combination caused problems again behind the Dortmund defence – this time Muller was the man through on goal, from Robben’s pass, with Mandzukic up in support. Muller was half-fouled by Subotic and simultaneously played a poor pass to Mandzukic, who shot into the sidenetting from a tight angle.

At this point, having conceded four decent chances from Bayern casually knocking the ball in behind the defence, it was obvious that Dortmund needed to sit deeper. They didn’t – and they were punished two minutes from time.

Jerome Boateng’s chip over the top of the defence to Franck Ribery was a fantastic pass and showed great vision, but Dortmund were inviting Bayern to create a succession of chances – they just needed to knock the ball over the top and force the Dortmund centre-backs to turn.

This time, Ribery’s backheel found Robben storming into the box to roll the ball gently past Weidenfeller and into the net for the winner.

Conclusion

There were small factors that influenced the scoreline – you can highlight Boateng’s positional play, Ribery’s defensive work, Mandzukic’s aerial dominance or Martinez’s physicality as small reasons why Bayern triumphed.

But this was basically an extremely simple tactical battle. Dortmund gained the upper hand with their excellent first half pressing – Bayern were unable to get the ball forward and looked under pressure for a considerable period.

But Dortmund’s pressing had two consequences: a high defensive line, and second half tiredness, meaning little pressure on the ball. That’s a notoriously dangerous mix – Dortmund’s defence weren’t comfortable when forced to turn and run, Bayern continually got in behind, and Robben’s switch to a centre-forward position meant he picked up an assist for the opener, and then scored the winner.

164 Responses to “ Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund take control with good pressing, but Robben moves upfront to make the difference ”

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 1:40 am

great game, fantastic goal keeping! … and after 3 finals in the last 4 years Bayern were the lucky ones. The first 20 minutes Dortmund was sensational, however, it seems they overpowered a little bit… without Neuer’s fantastic save with the leg against Kuba it might have paid off …

no off-site goal, excellent referee… this was one of the best games I ever watched.

Congratulation to Bayern! …after the defeat in the last final they deserved somehow to win… for Dortmund: coming second is not a bad start for winning the CUP next year… as demonstrated by Bayern.

Calado on May 26, 2013 at 1:55 am

Agree, but for the referee part. At one point Subotic pulls Muller down on the edge of the penalty box which would have produced a dangerous free-kick and Dante should have had a second yellow for the penalty. His expulsion could have lead to a different result, but the referee didn’t have the balls to do it because of the profile of the game. It’s understandable, but still wrong

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 2:22 am

I can’t see why Dante’s foul should have been a yellow card … it was a penalty because it was a foul in the box, but that’s it …

Calado on May 26, 2013 at 3:44 am

It was a knee to the chest, if he hadn’t one already i’m positive the ref would have awarded a card to Dante

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 6:56 am

I just looked at it again and Dante’s knee actually went to the ball and even touched the ball … Reus bums into the knee… IMO not an intentional foul from Dante, a little bit clumsy perhaps… 3 referees out of ten might not even give a penalty, 3 might … 3 might give a penalty and a yellow card…

overall I found the referee’s decision very ‘balanced’… considering that this was a very fast and attractive game, and the way he handled it helped to keep it like this…

sahins offensive play is better he could have scored or created for others

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 2:24 am

but they created enough chances … if Kuba or / and Lewa would have scored it would have been 2:0 after 20 minutes without any chance for Bayern…

riverboat on May 26, 2013 at 9:12 am

Klopp should have brough Sahin on for Grosskreutz after 70 minutes. Dortmund could then have played 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1 allowing Dortmund to play a lot deeper.

Why didn’t Klopp make any subs after 70 odd minutes? It was as if Bayern had an extra man during the last 20 minutes. Klopp said after the game “our long season caught up with us”, but not subbing anyone until stoppage time didn’t help.

The starting line up was great, but why Sahin came just in the last minute and not 15 minutes earlier is the question.

amine on May 26, 2013 at 1:44 am

the key of the match was the postion of robin in the second half a little closer to ribery to get advantage of hid passes with mistakes doing by hummel but i don’t get xhy bayern play a 3-5-2 in first 30 minute with Schweinsteiger playing between danté and boateng it was a waste of time and dortmund dominate the midlle field

Clarence on May 26, 2013 at 1:44 am

Dortmund lost everything against Bayern: Super Cup, German Cup, League, CL and Gotze

Bayern is simply too strong, which means BVB will never win a thing again

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 1:56 am

Dortmund will be even more hungry next year, while Bayerns’ player have now the big title after reaching 3 finals!…that won’t be easy for Pep to deal with…hunger is the best cook, and with Klopp Dortmund has the right coach to integrate other future ’star’ players into the team. I’m sure they will invest the $$ for Goetze and Lewandowski wisely …

HW on May 26, 2013 at 9:11 am

never say ‘never’

Clarence on May 28, 2013 at 8:31 am

Oh wait, they will lose Lewan soon, welcome to the Bayern Liga

Calado on May 26, 2013 at 1:48 am

Everyone talks about it, but is this really “it” for Dortmund? They did pretty well when they had to replace Nuri Sahin, then Kagawa. If Lewan leaves, maybe Schieber’s got what it takes to replace him like Lewan did Barrios. Gotze may arguably be their best player but so was Nuri Sahin when he left, and since now he’s back a midfield of Bender and Sahin with Gundogan in front of them doesn’t sound so bad.
The thing is, Bayern will be very strong next year. But perhaps another try at the Champions League trophy is in the cards for Dortmund no?

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 2:09 am

don’t forget that they will earn a lot of money with Goetze and Lewandowsky that they can invest in new players… and with Klopp Dortmund is an attractive club for young and hungry players … Goetze didn’t play and still it was a very tight match… I can’t see why their quality should drop the next season, they beat Real, Manchester City … gathered a lot of experience this season in the champions league… I’m sure they will be hard to beat next season…

Calado on May 26, 2013 at 3:54 am

A big chunk of the money Dortmund have/will have with the transfers will probably be used to increase the salaries of the players they already have so they don’t get so tempted to leave. I heard on the guardian pod that Lewan was on 25,000 a week at Dortmund, wich is miserable compared to what Bayern can offer. Their strategy of promoting young players has paid off so far and i don’t see them investing much on new players. They do need a deeper squad though. Maybe Benteke is tempted..

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 7:07 am

they earned approx. EUR 50 Mill with the champions league this season, EUR 39 Mill for Götze… I would assume for an early change of Lewa they will get at least another EUR 25 Mill …that’s not too shabby…

Oatbag on May 27, 2013 at 3:55 pm

exactly.
As a bayern fan I wish he didn’t also take Lewie, but BVB is not done, they will not be beated by 25 points next season. Heja BuLi!

Joãozinho on May 26, 2013 at 4:08 am

I believe Dortmund will be strong in the next season. I think that Klopp will buy Eriksen or Kiyotake to replace Gotze and probably will buy Jackson Martinez, Dzeko or Kiessling to replace Robert.

he also passed the ball through 3 Dortmunder to Robben for the first goal from Mandzukic…

Frogmouth on May 26, 2013 at 2:34 am

Yes! That was brilliant.

Dallas on May 26, 2013 at 3:21 am

If tiredness was becoming an issue in the second half (which was something that Klopp had to have been expecting), why on earth didn’t he make any substitutions prior to Robben’s winner? I mean, the same could be said for Heynckes leaving Boateng on when he was obviously in pain, but Dortmund were clearly flagging late on. It was just strange to me.

Tommy on May 26, 2013 at 3:31 am

I thought the same thing! He had Kehl and Sahin at his disposal, and Bender and Gundogan was clearly fatigued around the 70-minute mark. Once their pressing dropped (as well as the pressing from the attackers), it was obvious that Bayern was going to win unless something changed. Klopp basically made no changes throughout the game, while Heynekes made crucial changes that led to the title.

robespierre on May 26, 2013 at 4:08 am

Gundogan was unbelievably fit to the end , but maybe Bender who gave so much in the first half could have been replaced, also Reuss was rather the culprit in the end could not keep ball and just ran out of wind and could not supply possession. So possibly Sahin rather than Kehl should have been the sub. Dortmund were dropping fast (after the first wave of exuberance following their goal)and Klopp may needed to gamble here with an extra creative player that he really needed all game to create that one chance’. However It seems that Klopp does not fully trust Sahin at the moment. a bit surprising since he spoke so much of risk taking in big games and big moments. So yes there a question here if Klopp for his part failed somehow here

Horus on May 26, 2013 at 4:54 am

He should have at least instructed his team to get behind the ball and hold on until extra time.Not the greatest strategy ever but it’s at least would not give 4-5 clear cut chances they gave.
He really disappointed me today.

HW on May 26, 2013 at 9:17 am

but that is not the Dortmund’s way oft playing. subs a little earlier would have been great.

Frogmouth on May 28, 2013 at 2:35 am

What subs? The hapless Schieber? He already proved he’s horrendous. In this match he made one okay but weak shot. If there is one problem that blights Dortmund it’s the lack of a deep bench. I’d rather keep a tired but unpredictable Reus or Kuba or other started because all you need is one stroke of genius under pressure.

The fact is that by minute 70 Dortmund had tied the score, so why not go on this way? Psychologically, it was a huge advantage for Dortmund to own the tie.

By minute 85 Dortmund was still attacking and nobody had made a change– it was a kind of Mexican standoff, because the wrong substitution could spell disaster.

The goal finally prompted everyone to reshuffle but it was just to game the few minutes that were left. These were all rational behaviors.

pb on May 26, 2013 at 12:32 pm

Boateng is an excellent long range passer and with Dortmund’s early pressing long balls over the top of their defense were vital, see the winning goal. Van Buyten can’t offer that.

mutthu on May 27, 2013 at 2:21 pm

Sahin for Bender was not an option cause of freekicks/corners. They need some tall players on the pitch against munich.
Sahin for Gündogan, why? Gündogan was the best Dortmund player on the pitch.
Kehl was not an option at all for me. He is too slow and cannot play a fast counterattack nor is he able to run with that counter. At a small lead Kehl were the first sub for sure. But at 1-1, no. Klopp wanted to win it and didnt want to park the bus till penaltys.

So, what subs to do?
Sahin for Reus/Kuba/Großkreutz, and go with 4-3-3 or with Gündogan as playmaker.But it was 1-1. No need to change the double six with Bender/Gündogan. If Klopp would have made this change and Bayern scored because of that everyone will argue now “Why the hell he subs this way, all went perfect for the first 70minutes.” Im sure of that! :>

Dropbear on May 27, 2013 at 10:12 pm

yeah, the late goal was part of the game plan as Thomas Mueller disclosed: he said …we learned from the last final to score so late that the opponent can’t come back … …. funny guy he is … … …

robespierre on May 26, 2013 at 3:34 am

Klopo could not have planned it better ,
Bayern were overwhelmed in the first 25 minutes,and Dortmund were looking for an early goal,that will have Bayern doubt themselves and hurry into mistakes, and Dortmund almost got it; But Goetze Goetze Goetze, that was the missing link , in the buildup, Gundugan ( what a player!) pushed very well,but Reuss could not do it alone, that extra quality and guile and creativity of Goetze and his fecund linkup with Lewandowski and Ruess with him , was sorely missing. Did Haman said few days ago that if Goetze will play he calls it for Dortmund and certainly seemed like that in the first third of the game

But This is the shame and disgrace of the whole affair
Lewi left his efficient finishing in his Bayern’s ( next year) locker. Goetze head and body under so much stress betrayed him , and Bayern blunted Dortmund sting off the pitch before it all started. For this reason and not mainly the Dante red caed (and there could Ribery’s red as well)– there is an * here on Bayern ’s achievement.

Last , Roben’s irrepressible desire to break through was something to behold. Not my favorite player, but boy he broke the spell that spell or curse or whatever it was that hung over his head

HW on May 26, 2013 at 9:22 am

lets hope the BVB gets a good replacement for Götze. Äther are some young player at the market, hope they don’t go for the most money but see how great this team is.

Guybrush on May 26, 2013 at 11:19 am

Sorry, but this is bullshit. Götze and Lewandowski have no real reason to not wanting to win this game even if they both will go to Bayern. It would definitly be easier coming as winners into a team of second place holders as the other way around.

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 5:31 pm

?

Cogito on May 26, 2013 at 6:10 am

I don’t think Dortmund was hard done by the circumstances, really. Goetze is out injured and there was major psychological question marks about his position vis-a-vis the fixture, sure. Kroos is Bayern’s best attacking midfielder and is probably the most irreplacable player from a tactical perspective (able to effectively function everywhere from the DM line to second striker and know when to do which as the game shifts), and has been out injured since the Juve tie. Badstuber is the team’s best CB, but his career is now under major doubt because he’s looking at a year plus injury layoff after another setback. That’s hard to deal with too. I was screaming for Kroos all game, this was the kind of game Bayern need him for…

Ribery and Dante had ugly moments (I was genuinely scared Ribery would get a red at some point), but Subotic and Lewandowski were not exactly doing their best BVB-hipster angel impressions.

Save the asterisk for Chelsea.

n1ckthegeek on May 26, 2013 at 3:02 pm

both teams were without their first-choice number-10, but the difference was that kroos’ replacement was robben, while grosskreutz took goetze’s place. depth is also the difference between the 2012 and 2013 final for bayern.

Cogito on May 26, 2013 at 6:44 pm

Sure, but that’s simply because Bayern has a stronger team (which is how you win things, generally). The losses suffered were practically a mirror image — two hamstring injuries suffered early in a CL knockout game.

xtrimis on May 26, 2013 at 10:11 am

Watching the game,

Dortmund started as the better side, got more of the chances
but when it didn’t paid off
I just thought, this is it, they are finished
because usually if a team doesn’t get the results when they got the upperhand

they lose, this is what happened here
Dortmund failed to take the chances, and Munich responded strong.

wee pat on May 26, 2013 at 10:19 am

fantastic game!

thought Klopp should have changed things earlier though – Reus was struggling to find space in a very packed middle, which Martinez dominated wonderfully. Would have liked to see Reus move wide, and either Sahin or Scheieber in the ‘goetze’ position

HW on May 26, 2013 at 10:40 am

Reus wide, but Sahin is seen as a deep playmaker in Germany. Gündogan would move forward as No. 10, or put Schieber upfront (as long as the BVB doesn’t switch to 4-3-3).

wee pat on May 26, 2013 at 9:07 pm

I thought about that, but Gundogan was playing brilliantly in the deep lying playmaker role. Thought he was BvB’s best player on the night

zonal football should try having articles on caf champions leazonal football should try having articles on caf champions league

super dooper bilbao trooper on May 26, 2013 at 10:44 am

So two German teams reach the European Cup Final, playing modified 4-4-2 shapes. They have both have strong forwards with an excellent first touch, who provide a platform for their other players. They both have their share of pacy direct wingers in addition to physically imposing centre backs and energetic midfielders who have magnificent stamina in addition to technical quality.

Admittedly the quality of players that both Bayern and Dortmund possess is greater than anything England can proffer, but does this sound familiar?

It just makes me despise the English football “culture” and much of what the Premier League stands for. If Spain win we say “Oh lets try and play like Spain they have great technique”, if Germany win we say “Look at the power of the Germans, let’s venerate that”. Ignoring the fact that Spain were lauded for bringing an end to physical domination of football.

England are far from a leading nation in the football world, but can anyone see what I mean by my first paragraph? It’s actually quite funny, because we search everywhere for answers (mainly arriving at the conclusion we have to send lorry-loads of money abroad) when we have a lot of them right in front of us.

HW on May 26, 2013 at 11:21 am

great point.

1. It is always the combination of technique, power, stamina, tactics. every nation / team has it’s own formula, but you need all aspects.

2. Germany did what you wrote: concentrate on yourself. 10 to 15 years ago Germany made the decision, that they need to concentrate on education and development of kids and coaches. the rest was like a natural process. Völler had a tough job as Bundestrainer. Klinsmann the oportiunity to change everything. And Löw now has the talent and the brain to play modern football.
Same in the Bundesliga: Some Managers like Klopp, Slomka, Tuchel have the time and the backing of the board to develop their teams.

R.Mutt on May 26, 2013 at 11:27 am

One thing I thought was clear but I didn’t see mentioned: in the first half, wasn’t one key idea of Dortmund’s game strategy to let Dante have the ball a lot? He didn’t seem to know what to do with it, and gave a lot of pointless long balls. I also think this is why Schweinsteiger started moving back.

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 5:01 pm

…the ‘long balls’ are part of the game plan and an appropriate approach to pass Dortmund’s high defense line if you have the right players (e.g. Robben) to go after those balls … so it wasn’t so pointless at all…

Cogito on May 26, 2013 at 6:49 pm

The long balls (preferably diagonally to the wingers) are a specific tactic used to counter Dortmund’s pressing. If a team tries to press Bayern to disrupt the passing game the passing game is made longer in order to bring Bayern’s attackers into one-on-one situations as quickly as possible since Bayern have a greater aggregate of pace, dribbling, and aerial power than pretty much anyone.

irfan on May 26, 2013 at 11:45 am

It was evident that the dortmund players were tired after 70 mins.Why Klopp didnt substitute atleast 2 players after 70 mins is my question.He could have brought on Sahin for someone like Kuba who seemed tired.Also the high line seemed a naive tactic from Klopp against such a fast attacking bayern team.

Sudha on May 27, 2013 at 7:29 am

I don’t think BVB players were tired. I think it was due to the fear that Ribbery, Robben and Mueller were finding gaps in the wings so Bender and Grosskruetz dropped back allowing the pressing to reduce in its intensity.

Bayern is a team that only needs a chance to score. All their front players can score unlike BVB.

Steve on May 26, 2013 at 11:58 am

A very good game and this ZM analysis is excellent.
Not sure about the plaudits for Boateng though. He used the ball well but, especially in the first half, he was turned by Lewandowski several times by getting too tight, allowing the striker to roll off him, instead of being ‘touch’ tight.
It’s the old story though, when the underdogs are on top, as Dortmund were for much of the first half: they must score in those periods, because class usually tells in the end.

Clarence\'s_shadow on May 26, 2013 at 1:24 pm

it was sad for dortmund that their strong period didnt lead to goals. hence it was inevitable, that bayern would get into the game. but funny to see robben being wasteful as fuck again, but winning it in the end.

the substitutions must be questioned. klopp should have reacted earlier to stabilize the midfield.

but to me another key asset of the game was what i already said before. bayern had it so easy in all the first leg KO games: they scored an early goal, 2 times with the very first attempt. this gave them confidence and made it much easier for them – not this time. you could clearly see, that though it was deserved for bayern, you can cause them huge trouble.

lastly there has been said and written so much about barcelona, but if look at last 3 CL finals and all the things happened over the seasons in the retrospective you can see how superior barcelona actually were in 2011

curious to see, what will happen next season with dortmund bayern and barcelona. personally i dont think that dortmund can compensate götze and lewandowski. another question is, how neymar will fit into barcelona.

Jose on May 26, 2013 at 1:34 pm

i m looking forward to the uefa supercup.

M.G. on May 26, 2013 at 11:29 pm

I was thinking that too, not so much looking forward to it as thinking that it’s bizarre that Bayern get another swing at Chelsea even if it is a glorified practice match. I wonder if they’re still pissed off?

John on May 26, 2013 at 1:42 pm

It was a bit strange that it was Schweinsteiger, not Martinez that kept finding himself furthest back midfielder. Whether that was each players’ instincts or instruction it seemed odd, Martinez is fine for a sideways pass but of the two players, surely Schweinsteiger can influence the game (in a positive sense) more, and thus should be played the further forward of the two??

celegorma on May 26, 2013 at 11:53 pm

Because you need Martinez upfront to press the Dortmund midfield. Schweinsteiger is better to stay back and distribute diagonal long balls.

jacob on May 27, 2013 at 2:54 am

I even think Bayern already had a game plan as they already know their opponent will be pressing in early on as Bayern won’t let BVB frontline and midfield to over run their back.

Bayern didn’t really full-on on defensive shape. They even put more defensive structure when they played at Camp Nou.

They just let BVB have it come to tired out their legs as they were try to counter attack and let Schweinsteiger manage from the back.

Lahm and Alaba not even really play as fullback during first 20 min. but BVB manage to pressure better with quick attacking threat.

Bayern did learned more from last year’s final that pressing too much at start will give them disadvantage in the end.

of course there are always not 100% guarantee they won’t give up a goal or two in those min. but playing with BVB they know how to shift the tempo according.

Clarence's_shadow on May 26, 2013 at 1:50 pm

i dont know why klopp waited so long. besides the good chances in the first half, maybe this costed the title. dortmund may have found back into game and gain more control of the midfield with sahin.

hence dante should have been sent off, and then it would have been another story.
unlike in all the KO first legs before bayern didnt score an early goal at their very first attempt. this is something often forgotten. yesterday you could see, that bayern can be troubeled, when they dont take an early lead.

in retrospective, if u see the finals since 2011 it is now clear how superior barcelona actually were back then.

Dropbear on May 26, 2013 at 5:14 pm

…sent Dante off … sent Lewandowski off … and sure you have a different game… BTW last game Bayern achieved a draw with Rafinha sent off against Dortmund, but I don’t think this is relevant here…

…and how many finals did Barcelona play since 2011?…and how many finals Bayern played?…

I can’t follow your conclusions….

Clarence's_shadow on May 26, 2013 at 6:40 pm

i mean the way they dominated the game. curious to see whether bayern can achieve such massive dominance. yesterday we saw a nearly balanced game, unlike in the 2009 and 2011 finals. despite bayern are a force.

and i do think dantes red would have been a huge blow to bayern!

celegorma on May 26, 2013 at 11:58 pm

A dominant final does not equate a dominant campaign. Barcelona almost went out to Chelsea in 2009. Besides in both finals they played against a tactically rather naive Manchester United. The game has modernized and the way Dortmund pressed would have given any team in the past massive headaches.

Clarence\'s_shadow on May 27, 2013 at 12:22 am

Barcelona had to deal with intense pressing of arsenal in 2010 and 2011…they prevailed. in 2011 the second goal after 20minutes was wrongly ruled out

It is almost like Bayern play a hybrid 4-2-4 formation. Suprising Barcelona didn’t handle them better in the midfield.

bayern are clearly #1. Barca #2, The question for me after this is where to rank Manchester United, Dortmund, Juventus, which of those three had a better season?

Your Thoughts…

Doerk on May 28, 2013 at 9:23 am

Manchester United certainly not: Poor positional play, poor build-up play from defence, poor passing accuracy, poor creativity in midfield. Poor, however, compared to the means and quality and breadth of their squad. Some excellent players like van Persie, Kagawa

RAHUL KHOND on May 26, 2013 at 4:18 pm

i want to talk about the future . hasnt gaurdiola made a very cheeky and safe decision . you just look at bayern munich i think they possibly have the best squad in europe and he can just make it a tad better with players like gotze to come in summer .they have two to three good players in every position . what more does a coach wants .
for me gaurdiola has gone for the safety for his reputation than for a challenge obviously he could had gone to italy but there were several good teams and most importantly he would had not got the money to spend that he is going to get at bayern . he would had come to england but then i dont think his style of play and the ones that is played mix well and any failure would had been a blot on his CV . the safe bet was germany and with munich . they already had bought gotze and taken out their main rivals engine . can any other team challenge them domestically i dont think so .

now comes the question of europe and i am doubtful about bayern’s chances next season . the reason gaurdiola’s former no.2 will have a point to prove next season with his former team .
chelsea with mouriniho will be a force to reckon with and he will be there to prove a point and so does city’s pellegrini and moyes with utd will definitely will try to make a mark . since Heynckes has left a great legacy and anything other than final will be deemed as a failure for bayern and that is why i am a bit suspect about .

i havent written about other teams because i dont think they will cause any major flutter and mostly i havent accounted madrid as challenger because under ancellotti i dont think they stand a chance because he had a better squad at PSG then he is going to have at madrid and still he couldnt do anything great . so what the damn is going to do at madrid . the rest just make for the numbers .
sorry but dortmund will not have this dream run next season.

rivaldo on May 26, 2013 at 4:39 pm

if you look at the pattern since 2009, i m afraid that bayern might defend the title as the first CL team. it would fit into the picture. barcelona, as maybe the best team in history, missed it on two occasions – it was ridiculously close.

then we had chelsea winning it in desperate circumstances and now a strong bayern. they will find a masterclass coach who can improve them and the squad will be improved tremdendously with götze and lewandowski.

it would be no surprise to me, if bayern will take it again in lissabon, though maybe not being remembered as great as the barca of guardiola.

Bayernfan on May 26, 2013 at 10:17 pm

It is ironic that some people say Guardiola took the easy route, when 8 months ago, they would have probably stated that Guardiola should have gone to a “real” team like a British team.
As for the rest of your statements, you are stating truisms. Yes, it is incredibly hard to win the CL, very hard to make it three finals in a row, no other team has done it, not even the Milan of 2002-07 or Barca of 2007-13.
Mourinho? He always has a point to prove yet he does not win it at a higher rate than let’s say Ancelotti, Ferguson or Hitzfield.

dearieme on May 26, 2013 at 11:48 pm

Before you decide who is going to win next season, wouldn’t you have to know where Ronaldo and Bale will be playing?

donhowe on May 27, 2013 at 12:25 pm

Might be worth knowing…as long as it’s not together.

I wonder how a team, with outstanding individuals no doubt, who take 40 shots between them every game, would function?
Doesn’t look like much interplay or passing would occur…

Antti on May 27, 2013 at 10:57 am

Juventus made it three in a row in 1998.

Sudha on May 27, 2013 at 7:23 am

I don’t think Pep expected things to turn out this way. The hardest thing is not to win the CL but to retain it the next season. In Bayern’s case, probably repeating a 3-trophies haul. Of all managers in the Europe’s top tier, Pep has the hardest task I think. Not just repeating the success but also to live up with his own high track record.

Technically too the job is harder now with Gotze and possibly Lewandowski as well as Kroos all coming back next season. These players have very different playing styles and fitting them requires changes to the team playing system.

On the other hand, Pep inherits a team that has everything – speed, skills, team work, defensive solidity and physicality. He could turn Bayern into an unbeaten team that not only wins game but also entertains (unlike Barca).

Claudiu Dobre on May 26, 2013 at 4:21 pm

Love the article, loved the result! The game was one of the best finals in recent years, if you ask me.

Marck11 on May 26, 2013 at 7:26 pm

Jupp Heynckes may have escaped criticism for sometime now because of the soft spot he has got now due to retirement, but he almost messed it up in the first half (again). He did a similar thing against Arsenal and lost that match. Here, instead of being proactive in the first half, he decides to sit back and decrease the tempo and Dortmund pounced on it. Why on earth was Schewinsteiger playing like a Center back trying to pick up passes from the goalkeeper? Boateng and Dante are decent enough with the ball and Dortmund were playing only Lewandowski up front. He changed it in the second half and we can see what happened after that. Really, I’m happy that Jupp is leaving because of precisely this. He makes everything tough for Bayern when it shouldn’t be. Except the Juventus game and set pieces against Barca, he has not done anything tactically better this season and were woeful last season as well.

ZM, literally you must be the only person in the world to spot Boateng’s ability with the ball in pressure situations. Literally he has earned somewhat a bad reputation due to last year’s reputation but he is much underrated. He played some superb vertical passes against Barca too..

And what exactly is this underdog love for Dortmund ? Because of the wage bill ? Isn’t it their own fault 8 years back that they are in such a messy financial situation ?

Bayernfan on May 26, 2013 at 10:11 pm

+1 on Boateng. Cannot make up my mind on his defensive abilities, but I have been impressed ever since I saw him on a Bayern shirt with his passing and ability to pick up players up front. Often accurate and down to the ground.

I do think you are being harsh on Heynckes, though. If for no other reason, just his ability to take the Van Gaal team and be able to efficiently fix everything that was wrong with that team.

HW on May 26, 2013 at 10:53 pm

I’ve seen a different game. Bayern was pushed back by two forwards, Lewandowski and Reus. Schweinsteiger moved into deep positions to reduce the preasure Dortmund put in the center backs and more important to link with the game. Dortmund was pressing the central midfield zone and Schweinsteiger received the ball deep. Build-up play was forced to the flanks and to long balls. This strategy worked good for 20 minutes. Bayern was not able to control the game and a lot was down to win second balls. But Dortmund struggled to convert their chances .. wie know what happened.

I think you don’t understand the situation. It is not about wages, or Dortmund 8 years ago. It is about a great team, a young team, a team that played with balls and never parked the bus. That is more you can say about the most big names in this business.
Bayern is the only club of the top european ones to handle this opponent, because they know them for now three years.

jacob on May 27, 2013 at 3:11 am

spot-on this is what i want to put it the way you said.

Bayern know BVB’s advantage in pressing so they try to minimize the pressure at first to eliminate Dortmund countering in earlier on when they r fresh.

last year Cup final was proved that going all out from start of the game give them ruptured. trying to recover would cost them more so ….. their approach in this game was the best to deal with Dortmund playing style.

if you look at the whole game Stats it show the who has upper hand.

donhowe on May 27, 2013 at 12:37 pm

I hear you but, I think you are stretching the point a bit.
Malaga and Arsenal handled Dortmund just fine, and they can hardly be regarded “top European” sides.

HW on May 27, 2013 at 11:51 pm

Dortmund didn’t play Arsenal this season as far as I remember.

Yes, Malaga was a lucky game. But Malaga is not a top 5 team. Maybe it is strange that Dortmund struggled when they were favourites, maybe that’s what they have to learn in Europe. But the top teams really struggeled. Real needed four games, Bayern three years. It makes no sense to think about how Dortmund would have played agains Barca or Juve, this is all history now. We know the facts and don’t need to speculate about ifs and whens.

donhowe on May 28, 2013 at 8:53 am

The more difficult games are not where you set out to make it difficult for a superior opponent but, where you have to take the initiative and be more pro-active.
If you both sit back and try to hit each other on the counter, who’s going to take the initiative?
Though to be fair, Dortmund didn’t sit back against Bayern.

As for Real even that 4th game flatters them a bit because Dortmund were fully in control except for those last few minutes when it became an all or nothing game.
Those last few minutes were played more with desire and heart than any real creativity or superior plan

Dropbear on May 27, 2013 at 2:13 am

I think Heynckes got it wrong against Arsenal where letting Robben and Mueller (Ribery was out) playing in a close space, neglecting one flank totally, failed – this time he got it right and the changes he made after the critical first 20 minutes – Dortmund’s high pressing was too strong to get them through the midfield or finding Mandzukic as an open man so they used more long balls behind Dortmund’s high line utilizing Robben’s pace … and this time ‘Robbery’ worked perfectly when both played in a close space: both goals resulted from their narrow play (they didn’t overdue it like Mueller and Robben in the Arsenal game) – clearly, Heynckes moves were decisive for Bayern’s success (IMO).

When I watched the game a second time – now a little bit more relaxed – the change in the game after the first 25 minutes was extreme; Lewandowski’s big chance (ca. 27 min?) was the last big chance for Dortmund – from there on Bayern was more and more in control of the game.

ZM highlighted the flexibility of Bayern wrt tactics and being able to respond to the opponent and their ability wrt correcting the tactics during the game (which shows the impact of the coach) was crucial for their success.

Dortmund has problems when they have to adjust their game – their high pressing works against teams like Real, but they have problems against teams like Malaga that adopts a more reactive approach. Bayern learned a lot from their defeats against Dortmund in the past and adopted somehow their pressing… now it is time for Dortmund to learn from the Bayern and adopt their flexibility – Klopp is a smart guy, his ‘project’ is not over yet…

jacob on May 27, 2013 at 3:19 am

I agree on both of you (Dropbear and HW) regarding Bayern’s reactive approach.

Bayern is only team that know what Dormund can do …they learned that from 2 years time in record defeat.

it might not look good on first 25 min game play for some viewer but they did the best approach to reactive to their opponent to come out alive.

HW on May 27, 2013 at 6:28 am

Don’t know if it was reactive or if Bayern was forced to play like this in the first 20 minutes. Maybe it was their strategy to soak up the pressure, but I don’t think they wanted to play that extreme. And Dortmund had chances to score, so it was not running well for Bayern.

But Bayern was sure that Dortmund couldn’t keep the pressure up and that they’ll get chances too. And of course Bayern is the team in the Champions League that knows Dortmund best.

Dropbear on May 27, 2013 at 8:24 am

I don’t think they did it on purpose … I guess they were just nervous and feared an early goal … and somewhere for sure was the thoughts about the games they lost against Dortmund and also the 2 CL finals already lost… with Schweinsteiger dropping back and more long balls instead of trying to find Mandzukic or Mueller they slowly found their rhythm and the right timing for their own pressing… thanks to Neuer it wasn’t too late…

jacob on May 27, 2013 at 5:09 pm

I think Kroos was more effective playing against Dortmund His distribution and passing are missing around between midfield and attacking third. he can drop deep and help out in CM……

what i saw in this game different from other previous meeting was;

-BVB has nothing to lose from that day, they were playing for all out pressing (hoping to score a goal or two)

-Their work rate and move are better at fresh start

-Bayern played more careful approach and didn’t plan to all out

-Bayern has more pressure and learn from the past that experience matter in this special game.

but overall Bayern have more shot on goals and better duel and more attacking threat….

Marck11 on May 27, 2013 at 12:33 pm

You should see the way they played the DFB Pokal game against the same Dortmund with Gotze. They dominated possession and took control in the initial stages itself. Eventhough they didn’t score, they were always in control. There is no reason they could not have followed the same here, but Jupp changed the tactics for some reason and almost paid the price for it.

Even if we take that Dortmund could not play that way for the entire game, what if they had scored 2 before that itself ? It was not even a risky tactic but a stupid one. You can asjust tactics against Barca, but not against Dortmund whom you have faced so many times this season and have not lost to them once.

Doerk on May 28, 2013 at 9:38 am

I doubt they deliberately changed the tactics. Philipp Lahm admitted that there was this huge pressure on them after the lost finals and I think they just needed to work into the game.

In the end they didn’t concede to many clear opportunities (1 Blaczykowski, 1 Lewandowski) though they never looked as shaken this season.

ladolcevita on May 29, 2013 at 6:12 am

There were three main differences between the DFB Pokal game and this one (all of which were or impacted by Dortmund tactics):
1. Formation. In the DFB, Dortmund played 4-3-3 with a 4-5-1 defensively.
2. Pressing. In the DFB, considerably weaker and less courageous pressing up top in line with much of the rest of their season.
3. Hummel’s injury. Santana stood in for Hummel in the DFB match.

The consequences were:
1. (As mentioned by Antti below) The formation for Dortmund in the EC was 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 which allowed them to press both Bayern CBs at the same time. Importantly, this gave Dante significantly less time on the ball. Furthermore, the additional man in the hole (Reus) meant that Dortmund’s counter-attacks were far more dangerous in terms of having a linking player (this feature was not present in the DFB match).
2. The pressing was much heavier and more effective in the EC, as already said.
3. Hummels is by far a superior player to Santana and not to mention the first stringer. Undoubtedly, this allowed Dortmund to keep a higher line and maintain more effective pressing.

So what happened in the DFB game is that Dortmund left Dante completely free. Dante had time to pick passes, run with the ball, or dump it off to Schweinsteiger or Alaba with ease. And what a big mistake that turned out to be as Dante (I think) picked up the MoM. In the EC game, once Dante was more heavily pressed, Schweinsteiger had to retreat deeper and deeper to pick up the ball in order to keep a free man at the back in order to ensure that Bayern could control and dictate possession.

Dortmund’s formation tweek and heavy pressing was not expected (even Mr. Cox gets the formation wrong in his prediction).

Antti on May 27, 2013 at 11:04 am

The reason Schweini was there was that Reus pressed very high and Dortmund were 2 vs 2 against the Bayern centre-backs.

Marck11 on May 27, 2013 at 12:28 pm

Not many times. I’ve seen the match thrice now and I can see Schweinsteiger was way deeper than Dante and Boateng in many cases when both were not even near any of the Dortmund players. Bayern were lucky to have escaped without conceding in the first 30 minutes due to that tactic.

Tom on May 27, 2013 at 10:41 pm

This Schweinsteiger behaviour is the answer to the state of the art pressuring teams like Spain, Barca and BVB to drop a midfielder between the defence to have that extra man to play around the pressure and tire the opponent over time with ball circulation/posession.

Gündogan does it as well as Busquets does.

And here again it payed off in second half.

moscovic on May 26, 2013 at 7:45 pm

please Michael i want to know did Robben play as an ‘inside forward’(someone who runs inside to receive thru balls, but is actually positioned behind a main forward) after his positional switch?

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Sudha on May 27, 2013 at 7:11 am

I noted that:

1. Gotze absence has affected BVB’s game plan. He’s a vital component of their game especially in the final third. Without him, Lewandowski and Reus are less efficient (this was also seen in the 2nd leg vs Real). Grosskruez is a hard worker but doesn’t offer too much creativity and unpredictability.

2. Bayern struggled with BVB’s pressing in the 1st half, they can hardly even get into BVB’s half until the 25th min mark. Not even Barca could do such pressing. Once can sense that BVB losing their morale a little when they couldn’t score in the 1st half after givings so much.

3. However Bayern changed their game plan a little to counter the pressing. One aspect was the long ball forward from Boateng and sometimes Dante. The quality and accuray of Boateng’s passing (both short and long) were impressive. These diagonal passes were directed at wings or Mueller. Bender and Grosskreuz had to drop back to help out the full backs and this was the reason why BVB’s pressing intensity dropped and not due to tiredness. Klopp is not a fool to keep tired players playing and their midfielders were doing pretty well.

4. BVB’s weakness was in their fullbacks and vulnerable to speedy wingers such as Ribery and Robben. So when Bender and Grosskreutz dropped down, they managed to close the hole. So Robben and Ribbery then switched to middle to find space.

5. The quality of defenders and goalkeepers were of very high quality. All 4 central defenders were outstanding (including Dante) not just in defending but also in initiating attacking moves. Boateng has improved significantly over the season and has cut down his previous tendency for lack of concentration and careless mistakes. Manuer, perhaps played his best game for Bayern, absolutely flawless, even for ground clearances which he wasn’t particulaly known for.

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Steve on May 28, 2013 at 11:42 am

The main threat to Bayern domination is Bayern arrogance. After bringing so much success, Heynckes deserved better than being shunted out in the way that he was. Guardiola will no doubt try to introduce the tiki taka style, but I’m not sure if he is totally prepared for German or, rather Bayern, characteristics. He dealt solely with southern European or South American players, at Barcelona. With the German mentality there could be a culture shock. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Dortmund though, even without Gotze and Lewandowski.It’s a big test for Klopp but I think that he can keep them at, or near, the top of the tree.

Clarence on May 28, 2013 at 12:13 pm

As long as Guardiola is better than Magath and Van Gaal. Bayern will win everything in Germany. Bayern has more resources than all other Germany teams combined. Welcome to the BayernLiga

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arent you going to do the roma lazio match.

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no roma vs. lazio analysis?

Norden on May 29, 2013 at 1:32 pm

According to the picture, the Dortmund shape looks more like 4-4-1-1 than 4-2-3-1.

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